Discovering the "Final Solution" panel
Creator(s)
- United States Holocaust Memorial Council
- United States Holocaust Memorial Council
Scope and Content
Considerable technical difficulty in first two minutes of tape. Miles Lerman apologizes for mistake in omitting Jan Karski's name from the published program. Marvin Kalb, moderator, introduces speakers for this final session of the conference. John Pehle, of the War Refugee Board, speaks. Cutaways to audience include David Marwell. 10:40:40 Jan Karski to podium; speaks. Karski reads his presentation, scarcely looking up. Cutaways to audience include Chris Lerman. 10:50:06 Pan of audience includes Raul Hilberg, David Marwell. Karski continues. 11:08:30 Applause. 11:09:01 Romana Primus in audience. Kalb invites General Petrenko to speak. 11:09:15 Petrenko speaks, in Russian. 11:22:00 Kalb invites Robert Wolfe to speak. 11:22:30 Wolfe: "The last speaker in a late-running session is always to blame for its running late." ... "My discovery of the Holocaust has been through the captured records of the perpetrators." Speaks of Nuremberg Trial documents and evidence, record of meeting 12 November 1938 with Goering and others, what was established there. Controversy over the nature of the record that survived. References to revisionists and Holocaust deniers. 11:28:23 Speaks of Wannsee Conference Protocols. Authenticity is incontrovertible. [This entire presentation is extremely interesting and detailed; should be carefully cataloged.] Mentions Hans Frank, Reinhard Heydrich, Rudolf Hoess, and other perpetrators. Discusses aerial photographs of Auschwitz Birkenau. Concluding statement at 11:37:30. The duty of our generation is to avoid further muddling the record. 11:38:48. Applause. 11:39:03 Marvin Kalb returns to the main questions: What did the world know? and When did it know it? Panel discussion proceeds. Tape ends as Kalb asks Wolfe a question re. railroads. [Tape rewinding is also recorded.]
Note(s)
See Film ID 2657 for duplicate content. Henry Mayer was present at this conference and at this session. 1" master video reel stored with USHMM Institutional Records in the USHMM Archives.
The International Liberators Conference took place at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. from October 26-28, 1981. The conference was sponsored by the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. A publication titled "The Liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps 1945" (1987) summarizes the testimonies.
Subjects
- CONFERENCE (LIBERATORS, 1981)
- PEHLE, JOHN
- WAR REFUGEE BOARD
- JOURNALISTS (AMERICAN)
- STATE DEPARTMENT (U.S.)
- SURVIVORS
- SURVIVORS (JEWISH)
- LIBERATORS
- KARSKI, JAN
Places
- Washington, DC, United States
Genre
- Unedited.
- Film